State meets cutbacks for May

Although Governor Jerry Brown’s water mandate didn’t kick into effect until the month of June, the State Water Resources Control Board is touting the state’s conservation numbers for the month of May. There was a statewide residential water use decline of 28.9 percent in May. This is the steepest drop since Governor Brown called on Californians to conserve water during the California drought. To calculate how many gallons of water was saved, the State Water Board compares usage between May 2013 and May 2015.

“The numbers tell us that more Californians are stepping up to help make their communities more water secure, which is welcome news in the face of this dire drought,” State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus said in a statement. “That said, we need all Californians to step up – and keep it up – as if we don’t know when it will rain and snow again, because we don’t. If the drought continues beyond this year, we’ll all be glad we did.”
According to the State Water Board, approximately 237.3 billion gallons of water was saved between June 2014 and May 2015.  That amount of water is enough to supply 2.38 million people for one year.

In the month of May, water misuse was being heavily enforced. 28,555 complaints were reported statewide. 36,159 formal warnings were used for water waste statewide.

Water reports are a requirement during the California drought. Every month, urban water suppliers must provide the State Water Board with their total water usage for the month.

Communities that had conservation totals exceed 30 percent during May:

• Lake Hemet Municipal Water District – Riverside County (49 percent)
• Town of Hillsborough – San Mateo County (49 percent)
• Serrano Water District – Orange County (49 percent)
• Sacramento Suburban Water District (45 percent)
• City of Folsom (38 percent)
• California Water Service – Bakersfield (37 percent)
• Cucamonga Valley Water District (35 percent)
• City of Fresno (33 percent)

“It is clear from this report that many communities have made a commitment as Californians to scale back outdoor watering and conserve – and the effort shows,” said Marcus. “The hot summer months are here. Californians are creative. We can fix the leaks, let the lawn go brown, and take shorter showers while using just enough water to save trees and prevent disease.”

Other communities have begun to take a more serious look at curbing water usage, especially now that Governor Brown’s mandatory water cutbacks are officially in effect. Despite the long-lasting effects of the California drought, some cities and municipalities have yet to strongly enforce water restrictions.